Obama’s Picks Aren’t Pleasing Everyone

Obama’s still over a month away from actually becoming the president–for now the shoes are still flying at Bush’s head–but some on the left are already nervous. Count me among them.

I understand the political chess play that Obama is involving himself in by selecting highly popular evangelical Rick Warren to give his invocation, but for those of us who hope to see homosexual rights advanced, the symbolism of a man who believes gay marriage is an abomination (Warren) being involved in the swearing-in of a man who we hoped would bring change (Obama) is disheartening.

Rick Warren will give the invocation at Obama’s inauguration. Warren is a man who believes my marriage removes his freedom of speech and cannot say that authorizing torture is a moral failing. Shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now. He won’t be as bad as the Clintons (who, among leading Democrats, could?), but pandering to Christianists at his inauguration is a depressing omen. More evidence that a civil rights movement needs to realize that no politician can deliver for us what we have to deliver on our own.

While I applaud Warren’s admirable efforts to help the poor and bring comfort to those with HIV/AIDS, I’m also disappointed that he clings to the same cultural hang-ups that so many fundamentalist Christians do (those who say homosexuality is evil, but ignore the verses preceding that say eating shellfish is an abomination) and I hope that Obama’s inauguration choice is not indicative of a pandering, do-nothing administration.

2 responses to “Obama’s Picks Aren’t Pleasing Everyone”

I think it’s just one of those spots where it doesn’t matter that much so as a sign of good faith give it to someone on the far right. This one doesn’t bother me to much cause he won’t be effecting my life. I don’t think it’s a good pick but we won’t think much of it a week later.

However his pick for Vilsack has me VERY pissed! The last thing we needed was for a buddy of Monsanto’s (aka Roundup/GMO foods/Suicide seeds) as Sec. of Ag. I’m so worried what he will do to our food. I wanted a ban or at least labeling of GMO foods and now I worry he will let more of them get in our food, maybe even organic food.

I agree with Lisa. There are several reasons I’m not crazy about Warren that have nothing to do with his stance on homosexuality but as she says, this choice won’t have an effect on policy the way the choice of Vilsack for Secretary of Agriculture will. Check out this link for several reasons this was a very poor choice:http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_15573.cfm